Billionaire Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrested In France: Here’s What We Know
Key Facts
Durov, 39, was detained after landing at Le Bourget Airport in Paris from Azerbaijan on Saturday night, after an arrest warrant was issued, according to multiple outlets, citing unnamed sources.
He was reportedly arrested as part of an investigation into Telegram’s content moderation practices, with investigators believing the messaging app—which has over 950 million users—hasn’t mitigated criminal users or properly cooperated with law enforcement when the app is used for drug trafficking, child sexual content and fraud.
It was not clear as of Sunday afternoon which French agency detained Durov or what charges he is facing, if any, and the Paris prosecutor’s office declined to comment to The New York Times, citing an open investigation.
A lawyer for Durov—who is from Russia but hasn’t lived there in about a decade, and is now Dubai-based—reportedly blasted the arrest, telling Russian media it was like a car manufacturer being blamed for an accident or being used to transport drugs.
The Russian Embassy in France said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, around 5 a.m. EDT that it asked French authorities for clarification on why Durov was detained, but that France has not answered the request.
What To Watch For
Durov could face indictment on Sunday, Reuters reported, citing French media outlets. He is set to appear in court in the coming days, according to Agence France-Presse.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Durov to have a net worth of about $15.5 billion, making him the 150th wealthiest person in the world as of Sunday morning.
Key Background
Telegram is a messaging platform that competes with apps like WhatsApp and Signal that Durov created in 2013, years after he founded Vkontakte, Russia’s largest social network. The app has end-to-end encrypted messaging, which means messages are not accessible to anyone but the sender and receiver, including the messaging service. It’s also known for its social networking groups and channels: After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Telegram became a key source of communication and is regularly used by both Russian and Ukrainian leaders. It’s controversial because of its well-known loose approach to moderation, which has led extremist content to appear on the app, though Durov has defended it as a safe haven for free speech and privacy (the company says it blocks terrorist groups). For example, after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, the app saw an increase in extremists and conspiracy theorists using it after being removed from American social media platforms, the Times reported.
Surprising Fact
Durov, who was born in Russia, fled the country in 2014 after he refused to comply with governmental requests to release data from Ukrainian protest leaders or shut down opposition communities on Vkontakte, The New York Times reported. He initially resigned from Vkontakte and said his freedom had been reduced, Reuters reported, but he later said he was fired after trying to withdraw his resignation. Durov is a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, and Telegram is now based in Dubai. Telegram was banned in Russia from 2018 after its leadership wouldn’t comply with a court order requesting state security services access to its users' encrypted messages, Reuters reported—though the ban was overturned in 2020 after two years of not being successfully enforced.
Contra
Durov’s arrest drew criticism from other social media executives, including billionaire X owner Elon Musk, who posted a video of Durov praising X with the caption “#FreePavel.” Chris Pavlovski, the CEO of Rumble—a video sharing site popular with conservatives—said France “crossed a red line by arresting” Durov.
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